Mark Cavendish will return to action at the Tour of Britain this weekend, but he expects to miss the World Championships later in the year.
The 32-year-old sprinter is set to make his return to cycling on Sunday after suffering a shoulder injury during this year's Tour de France.
However, the 2011 world champion admits that he is 'highly unlikely' to compete at the World Championships in Norway on September 24.
He told The Daily Telegraph, "I don't want to just go for the sake of going.
"I may as well begin to focus on coming back strong next season. If I surprise myself at the Tour of Britain then maybe I will speak with Rod [Ellingworth, the men's coach] but at the moment it would be a massive surprise if I went."
The 30-time stage winner was forced to withdraw from this year's Tour de France after a collision with rival Peter Sagan resulted in the Manxman fracturing his scapula.
Cavendish has only three weeks of cycling under his belt since the injury, with the Team GB racer looking to mark his return to competitive action in Edinburgh on Sunday.
Although he is not expecting to add to his 10 stage wins at the event, Cavendish is hoping to help Team Dimension Data to their third consecutive Tour of Britain crown.
In their way is Team Sky, who will be led by Cavendish's former team-mate and fellow Brit Geraint Thomas and former world champion Michal Kwiatkowski.